Red steel was released in 2006 it was as an example of how the new Wii motion control system could be used for shooters. I don't feel the game was designed to be the best ever, but more to showcase the new syel of gameplay the Wii offered comsumers and this must be kept in mind when reviewing the game. The two questions are: 1) Does Red Steel show that shooting/first person combat games can work on the Wii and 2) is it a good game in its own right.

*Story*
You play as Scott Monroe, a man engaged to Miyu who is daugher of Isao Sato; the head of one of the larget Yakuza clans. You are going to meet your father in law to be when a rival gang attacks and you are dragged into helping Sato reclaim control over the waring yakuza tribes. The game takes place in various locales in Tokyo from a nuge hotel to Little Tokyo slums and a peaceful (well untill you come and shoot up the place) retreat in the mountains. You fight your way through each level and defeat key Yakuza members in sword combat, working your way up the organisation to eventually defeat Tokai, a big Yakuza boss. The story is told through amimated still frame cutscenes, which are pretty boring to watch and the story itself is nothing too exciting.

*Combat*
Combat is broken down into two separate elements: Guns and Sword but you have no control over when you can use each of these styles, if someone challenges you to blade combat you are honnor bound to fight them and cant just shoot them. The Wii remote is used to aim firearms (pistol, machine gun, shotgun) and if you hold the A button and move the controler backwards and forwards you zoom the aim in and out. The controll is buy no means perfect and you find pleanty of moments where it is almost completely unresponsive but it does an adaquate job of introducing a new control system to be used on future Wii titles The nunchuck controls your movement and can be used to strafe, jump, duck and reload. The sword combat is controled through using combinations of movements with both the remote and nunchuck. Generally the Wii remote controlls your attacking blade and the nunchuck controlls a secondary defensive weapon. As the game porgresses you learn a series of combo moves, though these are often difficult to use as the movements are not picked up all the time. This means you stand there flailing about with nothing happening at some points getting killed. I think the sword combat is interesting and at times very tense and fun, but the control problems stop it being brilliant.

*Play Time*
The game takes a decent amount of time to complete and it is quite fun to replay the main story at least once when you have mastered the control system after your first play through.

*Multiplayer*
There is a split screen multiplayer on Red Steel, though there are only four maps and three deathmatch modes so it is nothing special. In truth I probably only played on the multiplayer for about 30 minutes in the 5 years I have had the game which speaks for itself.

*OVERALL*
A decent first attempt at a combat game on the Wii. Released as a lauch title i think it does suggest that shooting/sword combat will work on the Wii but it will need a sharper, more responsive control method. As a shooting game in its own right Red steel is not particuarly impressive. The mix of gun and sword combat keeps things interesting but the story and characters are nothing special.